A Convincing Display
by The Mangosity
Summary: Roxas gets taken advantage of and has no idea how to cope. When he is attacked a second time, Zexion manages to accidentally stumble upon the act, and knows just who to tell...


A Convincing Display

**Part I**

Although the Center Room bustled with activity in the mornings, in the evenings the room sat empty and dim. By this time Saïx had handed out all the missions he was going to for the day, and most of these missions had already been completed. There was no reason for anyone to be in the Center Roomby late evening, but Roxas did not know this. When he rushed in, frantically shouting for help, he expected the room to be full of other people. It took him a moment to realize that no one was there.

"N…No," he whispered, his voice shaking with fright. He searched left and right as if he might find the other members of the organization hiding behind the sofas, but the room really was empty. "_No_."

Trembling, he began to nervously pace the room, giving sharp, anxious breaths as he tried to figure out what he could do. He was so terrified that he could hardly think at all. At the sound of a creak from the hallway behind him, he suddenly spun around to make sure that _he_ had not followed him. It did not soothe his nerves to find that the hallway was empty.

In fact, this was Roxas' breaking point.

He collapsed onto one of the sofas and suddenly began to weep, burrowing his face into his arms and wondering how everything could have possibly gotten so far out of hand. Roxas was not aware of how much time passed nor did he actually care, but at some point a dark portal appeared in the corner, and Axel stepped through.

"Perfect," Axel thought, surveying the silent room. Unlike Roxas he was greatly relieved to see that the Center Room was empty. To him it meant that Saïx was gone, and that he would not have to complete another mission. It wasn't until he crossed the room that he heard a tiny hiccup, and looked over to find Roxas sprawled out on a couch, sobbing. Considering their lack of hearts, Axel found this extremely odd. He contemplated just leaving him there to sort out his problem, but he could hardly leave Roxas crying all alone in the middle of the room without at least asking what was wrong.

"Hey, kid," he called, leaning over the back of the sofa. "What's the matter? Did you stub your toe or something?"

Roxas started at the sound of Axel's voice, and looked up at him with bleary eyes and a tear streaked face. Axel had to admit that he was impressed. Roxas must have had some pretty vivid memories of sadness to put on a display this convincing.

"Are you all right?" Axel asked again, and Roxas sluggishly sat up.

"I'm fine. I just… Where's Saïx?" An idea suddenly came to him that might just fix everything.

"…You're crying because you can't find Saïx?"

"_No_. I…I just really need to speak with him."

"Well, sorry to break this to you, but he's probably already gone back to his room by now. He's not talking to anybody until morning."

"Oh…"

Axel could see that Roxas was about to start crying again, so he came around to the front of the sofa and pulled him to his feet.

"Why don't you go to your room now?" Axel suggested. "I'm sure you'll feel better after you rest for a while."

He did not wait for Roxas to reply, and began to lead him off down the hallway. When they got to Roxas' room, Axel opened the door and gently prodded him in.

"Try to get some sleep, okay?"

"…Okay…"

Axel began to close the door, but then Roxas called out to him.

"Axel?"

"Yeah?"

"If…if I told you something, would you promise not to tell anyone else?"

"Um…sure. Go ahead."

Roxas opened his mouth, ready to tell Axel everything, but struggled to find the words. In the end, he found that he would not feel comfortable telling anyone what had happened, not even Axel.

"Never mind," he said flatly.

"Are you sure?"

Roxas nodded wordlessly.

"…Well, see you tomorrow."

Axel didn't even bother waiting for a response from Roxas, and closed the door to leave him to his thoughts. Once Axel was far away enough not to hear, Roxas hurried to lock himself in, but it was no use to calm him. Even in this locked room he felt unsafe.

"I…I need to breathe," he said aloud, removing his heavy coat. He put on a fresh pair of pajama clothes and sat at the edge of the bed, his mind full of questions he had fooled himself into thinking he did not know the answers to.

"He _tricked_ me," Roxas thought. Anger suddenly flooded into him as he realized how naïve and gullible he had been. He saw now how avoidable this situation was, and wished with every fiber of himself that he could go back and keep this whole mess from starting, but there was absolutely nothing he could do. He was stuck with the experience, and there was no way to undo it or take it away.

The sudden sense of helplessness sent dread into him, and he felt a lump come to his throat.

"No. Be strong," he thought, tears brimming at his eyes. "I have to be _strong_."

He laid his head down onto his pillow, fighting to keep from crying, but the unwanted tears came anyway, and then the sobs. Finally he pulled his legs up to his chest, and succumbed to the misery he wasn't supposed to be able to feel. He cried his heart out.

**To Be Continued…**

I'm so glad I finished it on time! I really wanted to get this out today because I thought Akuroku fans would really enjoy it. Plus, who doesn't want their story to be out on Friday the 13th? So happy Akuroku Day, and I hope you all continue to read this!^^


End file.
